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Dodd’s Corner Market specializes in locally-grown, handmade products

 

By Anne Carmichael
For the Jessamine Journal

 

Dodd Seed Store opened in 1918 offering Jessamine County residents fresh locally grown produce, handmade dishes and crafts by local artisans.
Located at 309 N. Third St., the corner market is open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
“Many people in Nicholasville have told us that they were not aware of Dodd’s Corner until a friend or neighbor told them about us,” Bill Dietrich, market specialist for Dodd’s corner said. “But once they drop in, they quickly realize that we’re the best place in town to get fresh, locally-grown produce.”
Dietrich said he tells residents the corner market is an incubator for farmers, cooks, crafters, artisans and entrepreneurs to bring their products to be showcased to the community.
“We’re part café, part farmer’s market, and part consignor for vendors,” Dietrich said. “With over 6,000 square feet of space, the possibilities for the 100 to 400 square foot spaces are limitless.”
The Dodd Farm on McCauley Road, just 15 minutes from the market, is where much of the home-grown produce is raised, but the market also carries produce from other states that are known for having the best of a certain item, such as peaches from Georgia and Michigan blueberries.
Dietrich is an investor in Dodd’s Corner with Sharon Dodd, a family member who now lives in New Orleans. Dietrich oversees the acquisition and marketing of the produce. In fact, he also has a nearby farm which provides some produce, and he owns a trucking business that helps to import the specialty produce from other states.
With the addition of a new walk-in cooler, cooks like Jessamine county teacher Hope Forbes- Soch, can showcase her dishes with produce from the market. Street tacos, lasagna, pasta salad, white pimento cheese, and other breads and spreads are just a few of Soch’s specialty foods available at the market. She regularly prepares takeout meals that can be found waiting in the new coolers for customers to pick up on their way home from work or on weekends when they don’t have time to cook.
Caroline Cobb is a vendor who specializes in homemade pies. You can find a selection of her baked goods in the market at Dodd’s Corner.
Dietrich said if residents have a special event or meeting coming up, they can give Dodd’s Corner a call to provide the space, as well as tables, chairs and catering for their event.
Artist Enrique Gonzalez hosts and teaches painting classes at Dodd’s Corner. No artistic talent is required, just the desire to have a good time and good fellowship in a community setting.
“You may know Rolling Oven as the Lexington-based food truck, a twenty-foot shipping container turned pizza kitchen, serving fresh pizza and sandwiches cooked in their traditional Italian wood-fired brick oven,” Dietrich said. “Rolling Oven brings that same kitchen indoors at Dodd’s Corner. From traditional offerings like the pepperoni, supreme, and Dodd’s Corner veggie supreme, to gourmet choices like the prosciutto speciale, potato and chorizo, and pizza Bianca, Rolling Oven has a menu sure to please any pizza lover. Everything on the menu is made-to-order, using only the freshest ingredients.”.
Dietrich said the market always has an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables as they come in season beginning in mid-June. A favorite time at the market is fall when pumpkins, squash, mums, Indian corn and decorations for Halloween and Thanksgiving are available for residents.
“We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to provide the best product from our local vendors to the people of Nicholasville,” Dodd’s Corner Store Manager Beth Dietrich said. “We encourage you to stop in and see what we have to offer. If you have something that you think would be a good fit for our venue, let us know. We have plenty of space available for new entrepreneurs.”